Pressure
by Sarina Sageheart
Summary: Set at the diner scene in 2.10 "The Cricket Game" but goes AU after that. Regina finds herself falling in love with a certain Emma Swan, but will the pressure be too much for her beaten heart? Is she too far gone for the Savior to save? Meanwhile, Cora shows up in Storybrooke. Rated M for POSSIBLE SMUT, violence, torture, and adult themes. WARNING: Dark. Attempted SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

The prospect of it all still leaves Regina awestruck, even as she continues to make her homemade lasagna that she knows Henry loves. She had thought for a split second about making apple pie for the occasion, before realizing that she would sooner skip around a field of flowers with Cora than make something for Henry containing apples. So, as Regina makes the finishing touches on her lasagna, her mind continues to wander nervously about all of the possible "why" and "what if" questions. Why would Emma want to invite her to the Charming family and friend celebration? She is neither of those things. Not even by a long shot. What if it is all just some set up? What if this is all some part of Gold's twisted end game? What if Henry doesn't want her there. No. He'd said he believed she'd changed. She had changed. Henry could see it. And right now, that is enough for her. Maybe it is enough for Emma too.

Regina looks at the clock and silently scolded herself for running late. The Evi- she- was never late. In the end, she supposes it is alright considering her last-minute invitation, and what seems to be her obligation to bring food to a party in which she isn't entirely welcome. What was her reasoning for that, again? Something about a peace-offering? It doesn't really matter at the moment seeing as how she is now standing at the door to Granny's diner, not entirely remembering her trip here, and still debating whether or not to go in. She hears loud cheering just on the other side of the door and thinks that maybe she can slip inside without notice. Besides, maybe she can spend some time with Henry.

With a final sharp inhale of breath, Regina opens the door. She silently curses the obnoxious bell that signals all arrivals at the diner as a horribly loud silence blankets the room and all eyes fall on her. Regina's first instinct is to make some snide remark but immediately shoves it down as her eyes find Emma's.

"Sorry I'm late," she says sheepishly. She allows a small, nervous, smile to grace her features, for Emma's sake, as she moves to set down the baking dish she carries in her hands. Murmurs float about the room.

"What is she doing here?" she hears that overbearing dwarf say before pulling out a butcher knife. How subtle.

"I invited her." Emma's voice rings out in her defense. There is that silence again. It only lasts for a moment before everyone begins milling about the diner, for no one wants to argue with their precious Savior. This party is for the return of her and her mother, after all. Regina's eyes had only just followed Emma to what seems to be slightly heated discussion with Mommy and Daddy dearest when she is almost knocked on her butt by a small, torpedoing, brunette.

"Mom! I'm so glad you came!" Henry. She can't help the smile that spreads across her face as she hugs her son. The two sit down at the bar to dish the lasagna.

"Me too, Henry." That is when she notices Leroy has made his way in her direction. Perhaps she should try to be nice. "Lasagna?" she questions, offering him a plate.

"What's the secret ingredient?" the short man sneers. "Poison?"

"Red pepper flakes." Regina deadpans. "Gives it some kick." Guessing from his reaction, that was not the reply he was expecting. Leroy takes a plate and sniffs the pasta before finally taking a reluctant bite.

"I want some, Mom!" is the singular demand that made Regina smile with a sigh. She looks back to the boy sitting happily next to her.

"Of course, dear."

* * *

After spending some much wanted time with her son, Regina finds herself sitting alone at a booth. Everyone around her is socializing, eating, and having a good time. There is not a single glance in her direction, not even from the woman who had made it a point to invite her in the first place. So, after a few more minutes of watching this scene continue on replay, Regina puts on her coat and walks out of the diner, into the chilly Storybrooke night. The fact that she was unwanted there was more than obvious.

"Archie made a cake!" Regina spins around, not that she really needs to; she knows that voice anywhere. Emma. "You don't want to stay for a piece?"

"No, thank you." Emma looks slightly disappointed.

"Oh. Okay then." She turns to go back to the diner.

"Thank you," Regina repeats. Emma turns back around, slightly confused. It wasn't like the Mayor to repeat herself.

"You just said that."

"For inviting me," Regina clarifies.

"Henry wanted it," Emma shrugs as though it's nothing.

"I'm really glad Henry and I got to spend some time together. I was- I was wondering if I could see him more. You know, I have his room just- just waiting for him." Emma is taken aback by the brunette's composure. She is practically begging.

"I don't think-" Emma stops in mid sentence. Regina feels her heart plummet, and her anger rise. It's almost at the surface when Emma starts over. "Maybe we can talk about it later... over lunch?" Regina feels a familiar twinge in her chest. Immediately, she wants to rip it out. Not now. Not with her. Never with her.

"Ms. Swan, I think a phone call would be much more convenient, let alone appropriate, or you can stop by my-" This time, Regina stops herself. She isn't mayor anymore. That isn't her office anymore. It isn't anybody's. "Feel free to call me during your lunch break if you wish so we may discuss my visitation with... Henry." She decided to use his name rather than say "her son." She didn't want to truly anger the blonde for fear that she might not let her see him. The expression that she watches flicker across Emma's face is not what Regina had expected: pain. But Regina sees the blonde's walls go back up almost instantly.

"Yeah, sure. I guess I'll call you later then." The two women stand there rather awkwardly for a few moments, then Regina opens her mouth in an attempt to speak, but closes it again. Emma fills the silence. "Have a good night, Madame Mayor." And with that, the blonde turns around, and practically scurries back into the packed diner. Well, they now have one less guest to worry about. Regina turns to the street with tears in her eyes before quickly blinking them away, and walks home. The only sound left to fill the empty streets of Storybrooke was the sound of her ever-present stilettos on the dark pavement.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay guys, so, a few things. First, I must apologize to all of you lovely readers for the wait. I wanted to make it good. Second, I must give my sincere regrets and apologies to my fellow evil regals who will no doubt deal with some feels during this chapter.**

**Trigger Warning: marital rape. If you don't want to read that part, then skip over the section between the grey lines. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I didn't post this in the last chapter, but I should have. I don't own any of the characters. All credit goes to the creators of Once Upon A Time. This is for fun only, not profit, etc.**

**Previously:**

_Regina turns to the street with tears in her eyes before quickly blinking them away, and walks home. The only sound left to fill the empty streets of Storybrooke was the sound of her ever-present stilettos on the dark pavement._

Regina reaches her mansion in one piece, but as soon as she shuts the door behind her, the tears begin to fall. She makes her way to Henry's room, kicking off her heels on the stairs in the process. After reaching her son's room, she finds herself in a crumpled heap next to his bed. The scent Henry's things overwhelm her senses and Regina feels as though her entire chest is tearing down the middle. She manages to pull herself into a sitting position and drags one of Henry's pillows into her lap. Regina clutches the object to her chest and uses it to muffle her cries. She can't even bring herself to care that she is leaving all kinds of makeup stains in her wake.

The brunette cries in an agonizing sorrow for what feels like hours, but is only one. She then comes to a terrifying realization that she hasn't been capable of this much emotion since... since her wedding night. It was after that night that she began to shut everything out. Everything but rage and vengeance were shoved back into Pandora's box. She could blame her mother and Snow's wretched father for that one.

* * *

The servants help her out of her wedding dress, but were given orders to leave after doing so, leaving Regina terrified, naked, and trembling in the king's enormous bed chamber. She quickly hides herself under the king's sheets just as Leopold enters the room. She can smell the alcohol on his breath as he approaches her. Regina immediately clutched the sheets closer to her body when Leopold tries to tug them away.

"Come now, my dear. Do not hide yourself away from your king." At first the king is gentle and this encourages Regina to try and reason with.

"Please, Leopold," she begs in a quiet voice. "I don't want this. Please, just let me be a mother to Snow, without this. Is that not why you chose me? So I could be a mother figure to your precious daughter?" Leopold frowns.

"Do not delude yourself, my dear. This is always a part of marriage and you are my right." The king sheds his robe and tears the sheets from Regina's body while dragging her timid form out of the bed. "Make no mistake; I will have you tonight as well as any other time I see fit." Regina lets out a cry of pain and fear as the king pins her painfully against the wall. Both wrists are pinned above her head with one hand as the other snakes over her body. His manhood throbs on her thigh and it makes her sick. She almost screams but resorts to a whimper as two fingers enter her abruptly.

"Please, please, stop," Regina begs as she squirms rather painfully against the king's weight and the wall. "Please, you're hurting me."

"And you're mine to hurt," he growls. "You're so dry, I simply can't continue further without your help," he continues. Leopold stops and removes his fingers, but Regina's relief is short-lived when he pushes her painfully to her knees. She flinches away from the pulsating thing between Leopold's thighs, but he yanks on her hair in a way that makes her mouth open in a silent scream of agony and that is enough for him to thrust himself down her throat. "That's right. Taste me, my queen."

The tears spill with every thrust as he hits the back of her throat. And with every moment, she wishes she were dead. After several minutes, that brand of torture finally relinquishes, but only to trade for another. Her spit coats him now, so Leopold throws her to the bed and enters her without a second thought. He moans as Regina's screams of agony bounce off the walls of his bedchamber. Regina thinks that she feels something tear down there, but she can't be sure. The only thing she is sure of, is the tear in chest. She feels her heart finish breaking. Her mother had started the process when she ripped Daniel's heart out, and now, Leopold had finished the job. Not that he cared.

Regina is unaware of how long this lasts, but it is long after her screams can no longer make themselves heard, and when he is done, the kings dismisses her to her own chambers. She barely makes it out of his door before crumpling to the ground in unbearable pain. The only reason that Regina makes it to her bed that night, is the few servants waiting to help her get there, but she can no longer stand for the next three days.

* * *

"Regina?" a voice scares the brunette from her violent memory and she looks up with wide, puffy eyes. She can't believe what she sees but can't find the will to make herself look any more presentable.

"Miss Swan." Regina tries to use her mayoral voice, but it comes out weak and scratchy. "What are you doing in my house? I don't seem to recall inviting you here, let alone at such a late hour." She doesn't really know what time it is, that's her assumption.

"I, um... the door was... I knocked but you didn't answer, and the door was unlocked. I just wanted to see how you were doing and..." Emma's voice drops too low to hear before mumbling the last few words of her sentence. Regina sniffs then resorts to glaring angrily at the blonde, ashamed of being seen in such a state.

"And so you thought that it was appropriate to simply barge into my home at some ungodly hour of the night, when most normal human beings would be asleep. Did that thought never occur to you? And for the record, I don't need you, nor anyone, to 'see how I'm doing'." Regina picks herself and her dignity off the floor before entering Emma's personal space. "So, Miss Swan, as you can see, I'm fine. Now I would suggest that you get out of my house."

"First of all, you're not asleep. And, with all due respect, Madame Mayor, you are not fine, and you definitely don't look it, so cut the crap. You're obviously not okay, so what's wrong?"

"Who are you to judge what I am or what I'm not?" Regina snaps harshly. The infuriating blonde backs out into the hallway, but Regina is closing in on her, so Emma angles her backward steps toward the staircase.

"Regina," Emma begins. "I'm not judging you. I can see it in your eyes. I know you're lying, and I know what it's like to walk around with walls thrown up all the time." The mayor is shorter without her heels, but she doesn't look any less intimidating while she stalks Emma down the stairs like prey. Her anger boils at the surface, and her eyes glow with a familiar magical purple swirl.

"You know nothing about me, Miss Swan. I suppose it must be the Savior's arrogance at your side that compels you to think otherwise, but let me ask you something: what is it you see in my eyes now, Savior?" The pair reach the bottom of the stairs and Emma is relieved to be on more solid ground again, and in the back of her mind, so is Regina. The brunette knows she could have done much more accidental damage to the blonde on the stairs than not, so their new position gave a much needed safety net for her anger.

"Regina," Emma warns. She didn't come here to get beat up. "Regina, listen to me. I-"

"Listen to you?" Regina scoffs with rage. "You know nothing. Why would-"

"Regina, stop! I came to apologize." That stops Regina and her magic like a brick wall.

"You... why?" At first Regina is shocked, but her eyes soon narrow in disbelief.

"It wasn't just Henry," the blonde stated while stepping closer to Regina. The brunette didn't back away, but when Emma reached for her hand, the mayor flinched away. She raised an eyebrow. "Who wanted you there," Emma clarifies. Her voice then drops to her original mumble too low to hear. The former queen furrows her brow.

"Do speak up, dear." Regina felt as though she was scolding a child. "It's unbecoming."

"I wanted you there, too." Emma raised her voice to just above a whisper and Regina wasn't sure if she imagined the small statement or not. Regina's mouth opens and closes several times, but nothing comes out. That's the second time tonight and it's very uncharacteristic of the former queen. How the blonde keeps eliciting this reaction is beyond Regina. It's infuriating.

Regina's entire body freezes when she notices Emma lean towards her. She can feel the sheriff's intent coming off her body in waves, but she finds herself incapable of moving to stop it. She couldn't do this now, not after she felt something more powerful than her anger for the first time in more than three decades. She doesn't want to drown it out again, but that is her first instinct as Emma's lips press softly against hers. The blonde's lips feel soft against her own, gentle even. Then Regina feels Emma's hands in her hair and she jerks away so fast that she stumbles and falls back onto the stairs.

"Regina! Are you alright?" Emma exclaims and reaches for the brunette, but Regina scrambles further up the stairs in protest.

"Stop," she demands in the strongest voice she can muster.

"Regina..."

"Get out of my house."

"I... but..." Emma takes a few steps in Regina's direction.

"Now!" Regina yells before flinging Emma across the room to land on the floor in front of the door to 108 Mifflin Street. Regina can't see or hear anything anymore. It is no longer rage that consumes her, but pain and fear. Tears well up in her eyes again as violent, nightmarish memories cripple her once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, all you fabulous readers, followers, and favoritors. Once again, sorry for the wait. It is my goal to update at least once a week, so we'll see how long that holds up before exams and such set in. This chapter will mostly be Regina and her thoughts, so bear with me, and do stick around to see what happens next. If you'll notice, I also changed the genre from romance/angst to tragedy/angst, so be prepared for everything that comes along with that. Lastly, as always, please leave a review if you do feel so inclined with any questions, comments, concerns, fears, or critiques.**

_Previously:_

_"Now!" Regina yells before flinging Emma across the room to land on the floor in front of the door to 108 Mifflin Street. Regina can't see or hear anything anymore. It is no longer rage that consumes her, but pain and fear. Tears well up in her eyes again as violent, nightmarish memories cripple her once more._

It has been at least two hours since the last time Regina tried to move from her position on the stairs. She had dozed off once, but woke almost immediately after being immersed in painful nightmares. The brunette now fights silently with everything she has, not to do anything reckless, stupid, or damaging. That pretty much rules out moving a muscle. Instead, memories continue to invade her every thought.

_"True love is magic."_

_"I'm angry all the time, Daddy. She's making me crazy."_

_"Mother! Why have you done this?"_

_"Foolish girl! Love is weakness."_

_"You are going to be queen."_

_"I don't want this life."_

_"Must I remind you? You belong to me. You are mine to hurt when I deem fit."_

Regina ultimately decides to get up and get a drink. It's not like Henry lives with her anymore anyway. She doesn't realize it, but half an hour later, she has downed an entire bottle of bourbon, and has started on the second. Regina long since ceased to make coherent thoughts, but that was probably her original intention. Regardless, she attempts to stand. The her first several attempts fail and she finally ends up on the floor, covered in alcohol. _Damn it!_ Regina can't manage to find the will to get up, so she just lies on the floor until exhaustion overtakes her broken form.

Sunlight streams through Regina's living room curtains and hits her square in the face. It's a rather painful awakening, and her head is pounding. She groans and drags herself from the floor, using her couch as leverage. Her face screws into a disgusted position and the stench of alcohol reaches her nose. It clings to her very pores. She decides that a shower should sober her up nicely; she just has to manage to stagger up the stairs without accidentally killing herself.

Once Regina gets into the shower, she forces herself to stand under the icy water at full force. I works well enough to clear her head and the memories of the previous night come rushing back to her. She braces herself on the wall and shivers violently. Whether this is due to the water or the memories, she can't be sure. She wanted me there. She wanted me. She wanted me. She kissed me. And then she remembers. _Oh, god. She kissed me. And I threw her across... I threw her across the room with... with magic. She'll tell Henry. She'll poison him against me. What am I going to do?_ Regina turns the water off and sinks to the bottom of the tub. She pulls her knees up to her chest. She feels so helpless that she begins to cry again.

After some time, Regina's tears stop, and she vaguely hears a phone ringing elsewhere in the house. She has no idea what time it is, but she decides to find a towel and pad out of the bathroom toward the ringing. The phone stops ringing before Regina can get to it, but once she does her eyes widen. _Four missed calls._ How could she have possibly missed the phone ringing _three times_? The brunette picks up the phone to investigate more closely. The phone clatters to the floor._ Four missed calls from_ Emma Swan.

Emma has called _four times_.

Regina would never admit out loud just how terrified the blonde made her, so with a shaky breath, she picked up the phone from the floor and padded back to her bedroom to find some clothes to wear. The brunette chose a red form-fitting dress, stopping just above the knees, with a black blazer, panty hoes, and matching two-inch boots. Stability, at the moment, was more important than her stilettos.

The phone rings again.

_Imagine that..._ Emma's name appears on the caller ID. Regina takes in a breath, presses the button, then brings the phone slowly to her ear.

"Regina?" The blonde's voice reaches her ear and Regina's entire body tenses. "Regina, I know you're there. Listen, I think we should talk..." The brunette hasn't taken a breath since she first answered the phone; she can't risk it, but she needs a breath. She hangs up before the blonde can continue. She is too afraid of what might be said. Perhaps she should clean.

So, with a kind of finality that she could only wish wasn't false, Regina makes her way back downstairs. She retrieves the cleaning supplies from various places in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom before setting to work on the drunken mess that she had made in the living room floor. _God, it's going to be such a pain trying to get these bourbon stains out of my carpet._ That is why she hasn't made a habit of drinking in there. Usually her alcohol consumption takes place in one of three uncarpeted areas of her home: the dining room, the kitchen, or the study. None of which seem particularly appealing last night, come to think of it. It's a wonder she didn't end up an alcohol-drenched mess in her bedroom. At least that would have been a more private spot. Perhaps that was the point she was trying to make to herself. It was what her mother would have done in her situation, so of course Regina didn't do it.

Thoughts of her mother bring her to think of what might have happened if Emma and Snow hadn't come through the well, but instead, Cora. A shiver runs down her spine at the mere thought. Of course, a part of Regina loves her mother, but by no means did that mean she wanted Cora _here_. Her mother would destroy everything she had worked so hard to build. Her mother would stop at nothing to destroy her happiness.

Regina shakes the thought away before she drowns in it by reminding herself that Emma and, regrettably, Snow, _did_ come through the portal. Not Cora.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I don't really have much to say about this chapter... Just read and enjoy, dears. As always, if you do feel so inclined, feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, concerns, fears, or critiques.**_

* * *

_Previously:_

_Regina shakes the thought away before she drowns in it by reminding herself that Emma and, regrettably, Snow, did come through the portal. Not Cora._

* * *

"She never slows down.  
She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down.  
She won't turn around.  
The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down..."  
- Stand In The Rain  
by Superchick

Regina stands silently in her kitchen, sipping a glass of apple cider, and trying not to think too hard about anything in particular. She had finally managed to get the stain out. Well, the one in her carpet at least. There are so many other stains she will never be able to scrub away no matter how hard she tries. Regina shakes the thought away in favor of one pertaining to dinner after glancing at the nearest clock. 6:30 pm. She hasn't eaten all day and she supposes it's about time she does. Cooking has always been a fairly decent distraction, so she opens the fridge.

"Damn it!" Regina jumps at the sound of her own voice. She slams the door closed in frustration. The food in her fridge is just this side of nonexistent, so she stands in contemplation for the next second and a half before changing her mind about dinner. She isn't that hungry anyway.

There is a knock at the door. Regina quickly checks her hair in the mirror before opening the door.

Her blood runs cold.

"Regina."

"Miss Swan. What are you doing on my porch?" The blonde wears that hideous red jacket of hers.

"Regina, we need to talk," Emma states before moving past Regina, into her home. _I'm fairly certain that I never invited you to stroll into my home as though you have some kind of authority._

"I don't recall asking you to come in."

"You didn't need to. We need to talk. I wouldn't even be here if not for the fact that you wouldn't answer any of my phone calls. You asked me to call you during my lunch break so we could discuss Henry."

"Oh, yes, of course," Regina says tightly. She begins to dread the next words doomed to tumble out of the blonde's mouth. She's not entirely sure what to expect, but she has a good idea. The two stare somewhat awkwardly at each other for several seconds, and in those several seconds, Regina's vision began to blur and nauseousness swirled in her stomach._ I will not let you poison Henry against me._

"Regina? Regina?" The tone Emma's voice suggests that it hadn't been the first two times she had called the brunette's name. "Regina, I'm not going to poison Henry against you."

"What?" Regina asks so quietly, she can't be sure if she was heard. _Had I said that out loud?_

"But that's not the only reason I'm here. We need to talk about last night." This snaps Regina out of her daze rather violently as the memories of the previous night rush to the forefront.

"We do not need to talk about last night because there is nothing to talk about. You intruded upon my home, much like you are doing now, and then you assaulted me. End of story. Now, if you would, please indulge me in a conversation pertaining to my visitation with Henry or get out of my house."

"I thought that maybe we could have dinner sometime."

"Excuse me?"

"I meant the three of us- you, me, and Henry- here or at Granny's. I'm not entirely... comfortable with the idea of Henry being alone with you right now, but he would love to spend some time with you."

Regina feels a familiar rage boil to the surface, which, to be completely honest, is much more comforting than what she's been feeling. "Miss Swan, is this some roundabout way of you being mad at me for rejecting your physical assault on me last night, or do you just enjoy watching me squirm? If that is the case, I can assure you that I am fully capable of finding other ways to see my son."

"Regina, stop. This is why. You are irrational, emotional, and you have made a habit of jumping to conclusions, let alone the fact that I'm more worried about you poisoning him against me than the other way around. I know you don't know what it is you're feeling right now, but neither do I, and it sucks. It's scary, and that's why I know that you're also trying to spin this off as something one-sided, but I've got news for you, Madame Mayor:_ you kissed me back_."

"_Sheriff_," Regina began venomously. "Don't you dare try and pretend as though you know _anything_ about me or what I've been through. You don't have the right." Regina looks away and braces herself on the kitchen island. She's not even sure at this point how they managed to arrive in the kitchen in the first place. What she does know, however, is that she is angry and the last thing that needs to happen is for her to fling the sheriff across the room again. Dark eyes seem to burn holes into the granite counter top as she thinks of what the blonde said. "And I hardly consider not rejecting you within the first second 'kissing you back.'" She hears Emma sigh irritably behind her.

"You know what, fine. You tell yourself whatever you have to to sleep at night, because it's fairly clear that you're not getting any as it is. If you want the truth, the truth is that I care about you and I'm worried about you. Henry and I will be at Granny's tomorrow night at 7:00 if you want to join us. Goodbye, Madame Mayor." And with that, the green-eyed blonde stalked out of Regina's house, not neglecting to brush past the brunette ever so lightly on her way out. Regina continues to stare unseeingly at her granite island.

It's not until she hears the door open and close again, several minutes later, that she moves from her position in the kitchen. She walks out into her entrance way. There is no one to be seen.

"Hello?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh, god... I'm so sorry you guys about the two-week wait on this one. I had writer's block going on for the majority of the first week and so here I am now. I hope you like the chapter. Fair warning: feels may be inevitable. Also, TRIGGER WARNING: TORTURE.**

**As always, if you do feel so inclined, feel free to PM me or review with any questions, comments, concerns, fears, or critiques. I love you lovely readers so much!**

* * *

_Previously:_

_It's not until she hears the door open and close again, several minutes later, that she moves from her position in the kitchen. She walks out into her entranceway. There is no one to be seen._

_"Hello?"_

* * *

"Hey, Mom!" Regina whirls around with a rather shocked expression. She locks her eyes onto a cute eleven-year-old boy and a wide smile spreads across her face.

"Henry!" She runs to hug the boy and does as much, but pulls away with a realization. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Miss Swan?"

"Oh, it's okay. She doesn't know I'm here."

"Henry," Regina half-heartedly scolds her son. "What have you been told about sneaking out?" Henry looks terribly interested with his feet for a moment staring at Regina with a deep seriousness.

"I love you so much. Nothing could ever change that." Regina's smile begins to fade with an onset of recognition. She steps back with wide eyes filled with fear as her son's form disappears in a cloud of purple smoke only to be replaced by Cora.

"Mother? No! How did you get through? Emma stopped you. This is impossible!"

"Come now, dear. Did you really think Snow White and her pathetic daughter could stop me when I have such a noble cause? Regina, I love you. I had to see you." Cora steps toward her daughter and wraps her arms around her. Regina yanks away from her mother's grasp and stumbles rather ungracefully toward the staircase.

"Stay away from me," Regina demands, her voice barely above a whisper. Fear grips her very soul. _Oh, god. I can't do this again. Not now. She'll destroy everything I love._ Regina makes a run for the top of the stairs but her mother appears before her, blocking her path.

"Don't be petulant, dear."

"Leave me alone! Go back where you came from. No one wants you here." Cora laughs dangerously.

"Go back where I came from? No one wants me here? Look around, dear. No one want you here." Cora pauses. "But I want you here. Don't shut me out." Regina is terrified and she turns to run back downstairs. She knows she can't stop her mother, but she feels better on solid ground. As expected, Cora appears in front of Regina in another puff of smoke.

"Stop!" Regina snaps. "Get out of my house."

"I heard what you said that day when you stood over my coffin." Regina stops dead in her tracks. "I know you love me, dear. Don't shut me out," Cora repeats. Regina tries to shake off her mother's words.

"I know what you're trying to do, Mother. Get out of my head," she demands. She tries to speak with some semblance of authority, but her voice shakes and her eyes betray her fear. She can't do this again. She doesn't think she is strong enough, but Regina is trying her damndest to convince Cora otherwise. Cora reacts with a sickly sweet expression.

"It's alright, my darling girl," Cora says while reaching for her daughter. "Come here." Regina tears her arm away so violently that it is almost painful.

"Don't touch me!" Regina yells, close to tears. Her mother scowls and with a flick of her wrist, Cora flings her daughter across the room. It registers slightly in the back of Regina's mind that there has been an awful lot of that going on in her house recently, but her head collides painfully with the wall and she forgets everything but fear and the searing pain. Black splotches begin to swarm her vision and even though she fights to get off the floor, Regina's body goes limp with a final thought: _Henry._

* * *

Regina finally comes to, but her head is pounding and her wrists ache. She has no idea how long she was out or what time it is. She has yet to open her eyes, mostly for fear of what she will see. She internally assess her physical situation. She is strung up by her wrists, leaving her in a hanging position, and sweat seems to be an ever present sheen on her skin. Which brings Regina's mind to the fact that she doesn't seem to be wearing much of anything at all with the exception of her undergarments. Everything smells overbearingly of saltwater and sardines._ I must be at the docks._

"Don't play dumb with me, sweetheart." Regina jumps painfully at the sound of her mother's voice, and let's out an audible groan of pain. "I knew you were awake the second it happened."

As her survival instincts begin to kick in, Regina yanks harshly her chains, to no avail._ Surely I can break through these with magic._ Cora speaks as though she can hear her daughter's thoughts. "Don't be so foolish as to think your magic can save you. As if I wouldn't think of that. Those chains are sucking the energy from you as we speak."

"Mother, you know I don't like being restrained." Regina feels her mother's hand caress her cheek and her eyes snap open. "But I can make it all stop," Cora continues as if what her daughter had said hadn't phased her. "All you have to do is come back to me. We can win Henry back together and you'll never have to worry about Snow White or her family ever again."

"I will _never_ come back to you. You lost your chance to be a mother long ago." Regina growls disdainfully. "And I don't need to win Henry back either. He is my son and he knows I love him."

"Of course you do, my darling, but when you don't show up for dinner with him tonight, then what will he think?" A pained expression crosses Regina's face for a second before she throws her mask back into place._ Henry..._

"So that's your end-game, Mother? Torture me until I beg for you to set me free? Until my pain serves your purpose just_ so_? Until I lose everything I hold dear?" Cora's expression is completely indifferent and it is that indifference that unsettles Regina the most.

"Well, dear, let's hope it doesn't come to that. But of course, the choice is yours."

"Well. I suppose we should get on with it then," Regina says with a defiant indifference matching that of her mother. Cora offers her daughter a look of such pity it's sickening.

"My darling daughter," she begins with a hint of sadness, "do forgive me someday. Unfortunately, this is the only way to make you see." And with a touch to her daughter's temple, Cora sent an agonizing wave of magic through her daughter's body.

Regina pulled painfully against her restraints and gritted her teeth against the pain coursing through every nerve ending on her body. The pain soon begins to subside and she is almost afraid to ask.

"What did you just do to me?" she manages to grind out despite the horrific burning sensation plaguing her wrists.

"I simply made your nerves rather... responsive. But that was just prep. Now my real work begins." Regina watches her mother approach a table at the other end of the room and pick up what appears to be a whip.

"Mother..." Regina begins with a hint of fear before her walls slam back into place and she adjusts her statement. "Am I supposed to be afraid? I am supposed to beg for mercy, half naked, strung up like a piece of meat? Is that what you expect for me, Mother?" She cringes against the searing pain in her wrists as she watches Cora move around her until she is out of sight and impossibly close. Regina can feel her mother's breath against her skin and it makes her shudder.

"Yes," Cora whispers. "You should be scared. But no, I would never expect you to beg. That would show weakness and you are far too stubborn for your own good. What I do expect, is for you to break." With a small kiss left on her daughter's cheek, Cora steps back and allows the length of the whip pool around her feet as she watches Regina struggle futilely against her restraints.

Cora grips the leather handle firmly in her hand, digging her fingernails into its softness. She loves how it feels. It feels like power. She breaths in the anticipation as though it keeps her alive before speaking once more. "There's something I've always loved about Rumple's somewhat outdated methods." The chuckle that follows Regina can only imagine is accompanied by a smirk that is more than just a little unsettling, but her thoughts cease to matter the second she feels the first lash crack agonizingly against her back.

The scream that follows could've have been heard throughout all of Storybrooke if not for the enchantment Cora placed around the building. Regina can feel every miniscule thing that happens to touch her skin. Even the blood dripping down her back seems to burn endlessly, and the tears feel even worse. She can barely think through the physical agony of it all, but she internally scolds herself for the immediate weakness she is showing. The mental torture almost seems worse. That's when the second lash strikes.

Pain shoots through Regina's entire body while her screams bounce around the room and black spots begin to invade her vision once more. She knows what is happening and shoves them away with everything she has within herself. _Henry needs me. I can't let him down. I can't let her win. Not again. Not now when she has the opportunity to destroy the things I care about._ Then an extremely unexpected thought appears through the blur of anger and agony: _If I don't show up, it'll destroy Emma. No._ She can't think about the Swan woman right now. A third strike is unleashed against Regina's searing skin and she feels herself and her resolve fading away. Her own screams seem far away yet indecent.

"Mother..." she begins as her walls begin to crumble. "Stop." She hangs limp from her lack of strength despite the excruciating burn that clings to her bloody wrists.

"Are you actually_ begging_ me, dear?" Cora laughs. "For heaven's sake, darling. I thought you were stronger than that." Regina takes a ragged breath.

"No. I'm... demanding."

"Are you ready to be compliant."

"If I say 'yes' will you release me?" Regina asks with a smirk hinting at the corners of her mouth. She feels the back of her mother's hand collide with her face. A pained cry escaped her lips and she immediately regrets her decision. She should have known better than to test her mother's patience.

"Stupid girl. You haven't grown up much have you, dear?" At this point it's all Regina can do to keep breathing, so she doesn't respond. She figures it's a rhetorical question anyway. That's when Cora begins to walk away. Regina begins to panic.

"Wait! You can't... just... leave me... here."

"Of course I can, sweetheart. It's alright, I'll be back. I'd suggest you get some rest. Here," It only took a second for Cora to conjure up a chair and have her daughter tied to it. "allow me to pull up a chair. That should help with your wrists." A second later, Cora disappears in a mist of purple, leaving Regina alone with her tears.


End file.
